Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Tavern Cheers and Ghost Stories
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1
“Then, a toast to the safe resolution of the incident and a safe discharge from the infirmary!”
Ethan held out his wooden mug with his toast.
The golden ale beer foamed up spectacularly as the wooden mugs clunked together dully.
With a refreshing cheers, Ethan downed his beer in one go without even looking back.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
“Kaah~!”
Ethan let out a satisfied uncle-like sigh after chugging it so smoothly.
It must be that refreshing, but I had no intention of doing a one-shot myself, so I just lightly swirled my mug.
The place we were at right now was a tavern in the Esett city streets.
Looking back, this was the first time I'd come out to the Esett city streets and entered a proper restaurant.
No matter how you slice it, it was already the second week since arriving in this world, and I'd never been anywhere but the student cafeteria...
It was shockingly impressive in retrospect.
Anyway, to commemorate the safe resolution of the relic theft incident and Ethan and Leon's safe discharge, we'd all come to a tavern today.
A tavern!
The dream and romance spot you absolutely can't miss in any fantasy!
In Broken World, the taverns' quality was on par with even the hidden realms.
Rough-hewn wooden tables, colorful dishes, mugs brimming with booze, even a bard strumming a lute.
The tavern scenery captured the exact romance from Broken World that I remembered.
But just as I tried to enjoy it, it hit me that I had no memories of ever coming to a bar for fun.
Especially with friends— this was a first in my life.
Until now, taverns had been places to work part-time, not play.
I didn't have the money or time for fun, and no friends to go with anyway.
My drinking was limited to the occasional sip of cheap domestic beer alone in my cramped one-room.
Anyway, as I went to take a sip, Choco lifted her share of the mug high with both paws.
It was filled with water, but she must've wanted to join the toast.
I lightly clinked with her, and Choco lapped up the water with a satisfied look.
Only then did I tilt my mug.
Not a one-shot, just about half...
“Khuh...!”
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
Refreshing—that word wasn't enough; it was pure crispness.
The fizzy sweetness bursting in my mouth had a strong fruit scent.
Berry... no, more citrus?
Not overpowering, but harmonious.
Yet the throat feel was incredibly smooth.
If you drank without thinking, it'd go down endlessly.
I didn't know much about booze, but... one thing was clear: it felt almost insulting to compare it to the cheap canned beer I used to drink.
As I went to down the rest, I reached for some food.
“What to eat...”
It was a lineup that naturally made you ponder.
Garlicky gambas wafting aroma, steaming buffalo wings, long sausages scored and grilled with thickly melted BBQ sauce clinging to them—BBQ ribs.
And a mountain of massive French fries filling the table.
The French fries alone took up half the spread.
Yes, you read that right—French fries claimed half.
Naturally, the culprit behind this mess was happily savoring the French fries.
“Potatoes are the best, after all!”
“Yeah...”
“Salt alone is great, but ketchup or truffle... oh, BBQ sauce isn't bad either!”
“I see......”
The mountain of fries was dotted with every flavor imaginable.
Just the sauce varieties outnumbered the side dishes we'd ordered today.
Still, since Ethan wanted them... what could we do.
He'd even ordered plain fries without salt for Choco.
Naturally, Choco was picking up fries with both paws, dipping them in her mug to rinse in water, and eating them.
That was instinct... right?
“You like potatoes, huh.”
“Yeah! Potatoes are filling. The best! Hey, why don't you eat some too? Leon.”
“......”
Leon silently reached for the massive potato pile.
He picked truffle parmesan, chewed, and nodded.
“Not bad.”
“Right? I knew you'd get it!”
Ethan, moved, plated fries by type and offered them to Leon.
And for some reason, a plate of my share flew my way too.
“Theo, eat lots too!”
“Yeah... thanks......”
I picked up a fry and ate it.
They were definitely tasty, but... I couldn't just eat fries forever, so I switched to ribs.
“Aren't the fries delicious?”
“They are. They go well even with the other stuff.”
“See? I knew you'd appreciate the awesomeness of potatoes too, Theo!”
Yeah, but I'm eating ribs right now.
Fries really shine brightest when paired with other menu items...
“Even so, ordering all the sides as potatoes was a bit much.”
“Ahaha! More of a good thing is always better!”
Ethan was too extreme.
All or nothing...
“More than that, I figured you nobles' kids wouldn't eat stuff like this.”
Ethan asked, munching fries voraciously.
Fair point—Agrit was a count family, Hilfenberg a ducal house.
They'd grown up eating fine things, not making fries a staple.
Something like cheesy loaded potatoes or fancy mashed potatoes would be more familiar.
Well, that's Theo Agrit's story.
Me... I hadn't eaten them much lately, but as a kid, I loved fries.
Cola and fries were fast food icons.
“Tasty stuff is tasty, doesn't matter.”
I used a fry to wipe the BBQ sauce filling my mouth.
While at it, I tore into a buffalo wing, savoring the chicken's rich meatiness and juices flooding my mouth.
“I ate them a lot as a kid.”
“Did you live away from home back then?”
“I'm adopted. This was before the Hilfenberg family took me in.”
Leon, slicing sausage, smiled awkwardly and said it lightly.
He seemed unfazed, but Ethan visibly panicked and dropped the fry in his hand.
“Really? First I heard. If not for Theo, I'd never have known even after graduation!”
“It wasn't something to spread around. No need to worry.”
“Yeah, of course. I don't care about status or anything! That's the merchant spirit!”
Ethan, who wasn't even a merchant, joked around.
“You don't seem surprised.”
The arrow turned to me.
I already knew, so no surprise.
I shrugged, dipping a wing in BBQ sauce.
“I just don't care. Status highs and lows are a hassle.”
“...I see. That's so you.”
Leon chuckled and neatly popped a slice of sausage in his mouth.
At this point, few knew Leon was adopted.
He didn't advertise it, not wanting to burden the Hilfenberg ducal house unnecessarily, and it wasn't news that benefited anyone if spread.
Yet he'd told us directly.
We could take that as trust from Leon.
“One more round!”
Ethan had already refilled his mug.
My mouth was oily, so I emptied mine and poured fresh beer.
Ethan raised his, so we clinked again.
Four mugs clunked with a dull sound.
Why four?
I glanced down suspiciously, but Choco was busy with fries.
Then who?
I turned, and a familiar auburn-haired man was sitting at our table as if he'd been there from the start.
“Sometimes beer over whiskey isn't bad.”
“Priest Giacomo? Didn't expect to see you here!”
Ethan acted familiar, but Giacomo just lightly raised his mug.
“Long time no see, Ethan Mertezacker. And you're Leon Hilfenberg, right?”
“Long time, Priest.”
Both seemed to know Giacomo.
Makes sense—officially, Giacomo was Esterro Academy's priest.
It'd be weirder if they didn't.
“And you too, long time no see. Theo Agrit.”
“Not sure about long time, but yeah.”
I'd erased him from my mind since we hadn't crossed paths, and here he popped up.
More importantly, could a priest just wander into taverns freely?
“Your face says it's weird seeing a priest in a tavern, huh?”
“...Kinda.”
“As long as I don't get caught. Just don't get caught.”
You say that in priest robes?
Suspicious—no matter what he does.
I instinctively raised my guard.
“More than that, what brings you here.”
“Just passing by and heard familiar voices? Am I bothering you?”
“You are, so how about going on your way.”
“One more sausage and a whole chicken. Oh, more booze too.”
This guy wasn't even listening.
My insides boiled...
Giacomo lightly sipped the fresh booze.
Despite the situation, Ethan and Leon ignored it completely.
“By the way, the rumors going around lately. You all heard?”
“Rumors?”
Ethan reacted, and Giacomo grinned creepily, setting the mood.
“Shadows wandering the main building at dawn looking haggard. Students who were fine suddenly vanishing and reappearing much later. Wails echoing from the main building at night...”
Ethan rubbed his arms at the eerie tale.
Choco, spooked, wrapped her tail around herself.
“Rumors like that—heard any?”
“Never heard them.”
Leon sipped his booze unfazed.
Naturally, the arrow came to me... but my reaction wasn't much different from Leon's.
“That's just grad students.”
Grad students pulling all-nighters even at dawn, kidnapped to labs and can't leave, or dozing off during overtime and waking up screaming from sleep paralysis.
All explained by grad students—no wonder it's not scary.
Scary in other ways, though.
“What about this?”
Ahem, Giacomo lowered his voice dramatically.
Wiping the suspicious smile, he looked like a total shady uncle.
“You know there's a mirror at the end of the third-floor hallway in Tartar Hall, used for club rooms. Screams often echo from behind it. But behind the mirror is just a plain wall. Meaning the screams come from inside the wall. Of course, no space in the wall. No one knows where they come from... but the screams are definitely real.”
Ethan flinched, shoulders shaking.
Choco straight-up fled to my lap.
“Well?”
Giacomo checked my face again.
But again, I wasn't particularly startled.
I'd heard it before.
One of Broken World's famous Easter eggs.
Mysterious screams from an empty mirror.
Made me curious how it was implemented here.
Problem was the setting: Tartar Hall, clubs' HQ.
Broken World's story was full of criticisms... especially club episodes, infamous for going completely off the rails.
Hence the rep as the worst story.
Well, better fully unhinged than half-baked mood-setting.
Anyway, this ghost story in off-the-rails Tartar Hall might connect to other plots unexpectedly.
No big expectations, but worth checking.
Thinking that, I sipped the rest of my beer.
2
“First time actually coming here, huh...”
I looked around entering Tartar Hall.
The hallways were clean, facilities top-notch.
For a simple annex behind the library up to the third floor, it was impressively fancy.
Tartar Hall was purely for club activities.
Esterro Academy currently had 51 clubs.
From practical ones like Fencing Club or Magic Research to pure hobbies like Gardening or Baking.
Varied lineup.
With 50 students per year, that's a lot.
But with one-club-per-person rule, not really.
Some have three or fewer members.
Anyway, clubs were mandatory.
Naturally, Theo Agrit was in one too.
“Tea Ceremony Club? Doesn't suit you.”
Didn't know that even existed.
Clubs were so off-the-wall I never delved deep in the game.
Barely mentioned in the setting docs...
So even racking my brain, I couldn't recall who was in Tea Ceremony Club.
Well, might as well check while hunting the Easter egg.
-Doesn't suit, but might suit you. Always yapping about peace and calm, right?
Yeah, fair.
Deathwise saying something right for once.
-This one always speaks truth!
Sure, whatever.
Anyway, you don't know why Theo joined Tea Ceremony Club either.
Means I won't know till I check.
I headed lightly to the basement first floor housing the Tea Ceremony Club room.
Opened the door wide...
And I couldn't help but be the most shocked I'd been since coming to this world.